The Cardinal Nation blog

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols became the 47th member of MLB’s 400 home run club, doing it in fewer at-bats than all but four of them.

In the last half-century, no St. Louis Cardinals hitter has had more seasons of four or more four-hit games than Curt Flood.

Anger over MLB’s Hall of Fame Sunday games and wonder about ESPN’s Sunday night choice.

St. Louis Cardinals starters have gone five innings or less in four consecutive games.

Analyzing returned St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jeff Suppan’s four-inning outing on Tuesday evening.

The St. Louis Cardinals added Milwaukee’s reject, Jeff Suppan. How much trouble will ensue?

Ex-St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Orlando Cepeda is a Latin Baseball Hall of Famer.

Albert Pujols had his fourth three-home run game on Sunday. Mark McGwire had just three as a St. Louis Cardinal.

Adam Wainwright pitched a great game for the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, but great wasn’t great enough.

Brad Penny is now one of a select group of St. Louis Cardinals pitchers with a grand slam. Bob Gibson, who watched Penny’s shot Friday night, has two.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia’s 2010 start invokes memories of another left-hander from Mexico who made his MLB debut 30 years ago, Fernando Valenzuela.

Of course it is early, but Jaime Garcia’s 2010 start matches that of a couple of Hall of Famers, including one named “Lefty.”

Chris Carpenter added his name to an exclusive list on Thursday night with his second consecutive ten-strikeout game for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Brothers Lindy and Von McDaniel along with Bob L. Miller joined the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1950’s without playing in the minor leagues first.

“Tasteless” radio station stunt targeted at Mark McGwire leads to banishment.

The man behind the Mark McGwire media plan has lost a couple of high-profile gigs.

Joe Torre recounts the story of how the Yankees wanted him as GM and Tony La Russa as manager back in October 1995. Imagine how the MLB landscape might have changed.

The name of the venerable author and humorist may be added to the highway currently honoring the former St. Louis Cardinals slugger.

In an odd twist, the wrong McGwire may turn out to be the family’s anti-steroid spokesman.

Jay McGwire’s book is coming out. Here is hoping his family members aren’t actually surprised.

Stan Musial isn’t the oldest or even second-oldest former St. Louis Cardinals player living. The latter is the relatively-unknown Freddie Schmidt.

A look at St. Louis Cardinals second base non-roster invitees over the last five seasons.

Former Giants media relations director labels any plan “naïve” that keeps Mark McGwire from answering further questions about his past.

A look ahead to the top projected stories across the Cardinal Nation in 2010.

A search through baseball history is underway to identify a most unusual Stan Musial photo.

Diffusing the ongoing outrage over Mark McGwire may require a clarification of the end objective.

Just as his Cardinals centerfield predecessor Ray Lankford did, Jim Edmonds wants to return after a year out of the game.

Just as when Mark McGwire spoke out, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is catching considerable heat for what he said and did not say.

In a major surprise, former slugger Mark McGwire was introduced in October as the club’s new hitting coach, and in early 2010, stepped out of the shadows.

One aspect of Mark McGwire’s tearful interview on MLB Network is a stumbling block to many – his view of the impact of steroids on his results.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wants Mark McGwire to become a late-season pinch-hitter and expects him in St. Louis next weekend.

Whitey Herzog, the leader of the 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals, was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

The St. Louis Cardinals again added a future Hall of Fame pitcher nearing the end of his career but it didn’t end like in 1926.

Why has Mark McGwire’s coming out party remained in his most familiar place – limboland?

There may be something for Matt Holliday to learn from this week’s Johnny Damon saga and a similar story from over two decades ago.

Passed over in the Hall of Fame veterans committee vote was the winningest St. Louis Cardinals owner ever, Sam Breadon.

Rather than retiring the number of every new Hall of Famer, the St. Louis Cardinals need a two-tiered system.

Whitey Herzog and the other six most-winning St. Louis Cardinals managers in club history are either in or locks for the Hall of Fame.

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary sprinkled in.

The St. Louis Cardinals owner during a record period of prosperity is being considered for election to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog is again up for Veterans Committee voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock is currently auctioning off 78 memorabilia items.

Intended only as fun, this award has been created to honor the highest level of hitting futility by a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher in a season.

Looking at past good-hitting pitchers on the St. Louis Cardinals.

Creating a new award to recognize the best-hitting St. Louis Cardinals pitcher during the previous season.

Many items owned by the late Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood will soon be sold at auction.

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary sprinkled in.

Why might Bud Selig be looking at Mark McGwire differently than he does at Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez?

Summarizing the trenches dug over the return of Mark McGwire.

Matt Holliday’s Oakland results following Mark McGwire’s winter instruction leave some major questions as to its effectiveness.

Will Mark McGwire become the next St. Louis Cardinals’ hitting coach? Could he do it without shedding his considerable personal baggage first?

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary mixed in.

Comparing and contrasting Mark McGwire’s recent comments about Albert Pujols’ value with a famous 2001 interview critical of escalating MLB player salaries.

Two former Cardinals take new jobs a bit closer to their ex-home.

Though the odds are clearly against him, Albert Pujols still has a chance to match Ducky Medwick.

The Cardinals current RBI leader has nothing on an under-recognized former great from the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter’s win, low hits allowed and strikeout rates are now in Bob Gibson territory. That is a pretty rare place, indeed.

This isn’t the first time that off-field issues may be driving away an important member of the St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals post-1932 franchise season record for stolen bases by a catcher is held by three men. Believe it or not, Yadier Molina is approaching – fast.

In 2009, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is delivering the best season in franchise history in terms of strikeout-to-walk ratio

Cincinnati seems the only National League team out of playoff contention that made a big trade acquisition.

Albert Pujols’ last at-bat game-winning hit on Wednesday was the 28th of his career

Offering a personal angle on the major stories last week across the Cardinal Nation and digging up some old ones, too

The “father of sabermetrics” Bill James explains why he thinks players from baseball’s steroids era will eventually reach the Hall of Fame.

Chris Carpenter’s 12th scoreless eight-inning outing Friday night puts him “just” 55 behind the great Bob Gibson

With two more multiple home run games, Albert Pujols would tie Mark McGwire for the most in a Cardinals season

Hall of Famer Stan Musial made a rare appearance at Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game.

The first in a series of questions that will earn one respondent a pair of free tickets to the All-Star FanFest concerns Stan Musial

Former St. Louis Cardinals great Bob Gibson is selling his baseball memorabilia at auction.

Albert Pujols has 285 two-or-more RBI games this decade, the most by any Cardinal.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter has gone ten games and counting without allowing more than six hits or three runs.

Until Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals hadn’t hit three home runs in an inning since July of 2007.

With four hits on Friday, Colby Rasmus is only the 15th youngest Cardinal since 1954 to accomplish the feat.

Chris Carpenter can tie a 41-year-old St. Louis Cardinals record with a fifth consecutive shutout start on Saturday.

Chris Carpenter is the only active pitcher to collect ten or more strikeouts in a game for the St. Louis Cardinals. It hasn’t always been a rarity, however.

Putting Albert Pujols’ Saturday grand slam into historical context.

Like Chris Carpenter today, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Woody Williams was shelved by a ribcage injury back in 2002.

Reliever Luis Perdomo, the primary reminder of the Anthony Reyes era, has been claimed off waivers by San Diego

Colby Rasmus and David Freese will be the most St. Louis Cardinals non-roster players to make their MLB debut to open a season since 1998 and tie for tops in the La Russa era.

Bits of news from around the baseball world on former St. Louis Cardinals players.

2008 St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin defends his record. He probably should have just kept quiet.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan is hitting the ball like in the old days. Several of his doctors should probably be credited, including one without a medical degree – Mark McGwire.

Short bursts of St. Louis Cardinals-related news from all over the web.

Aaron Miles and Adam Kennedy are no longer St. Louis Cardinals second basemen. The answer to which one may be more greatly missed could be surprising.

Since Tony La Russa has managed the St. Louis Cardinals, he has called upon non-pitchers to take the mound eight different times. The most recent three were by Aaron Miles. Who will get the mop-up job in 2009?

With second baseman Adam Kennedy on the waiver wire, what will the St. Louis Cardinals do with the uniform number 7?

St. Louis Cardinals news include three former hurlers finding new homes, three additional spring training invites and more.

Trying 30-something year old second basemen off the scrap heap in spring training in recent years hasn’t proven to answer St. Louis Cardinals’ needs.

St. Louis Cardinals-related news includes the Caribbean Series, “A-Fraud”, Joe Torre, MLB Network, TLR on scouts vs. stats, Todd Worrell, Scott Gorgen and more!

The only positive outcome from the steroids allegations against Alex Rodriguez was apparently the test itself.

With Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick heading for arbitration hearings, how have the St. Louis Cardinals fared in these salary disputes over the years?

Amaury Marti struggling in Mexico, Larry Bigbie’s 15 minutes of fame, Skip Schumaker at second base and Tyler Johnson heads west.

Do St. Louis Cardinals players deliver better results in their final pre-free agency season?

Dates for Ankiel and Ludwick arbitration hearings, Choi contract clarification, club out of money and more St. Louis Cardinals news.

The St. Louis Cardinals may have some good reasons to be nervous about going beyond three years on player contracts.

Continuing a semi-regular series of quick hits on and links to recent St. Louis Cardinals baseball news on the ‘net.

Recent actions by the St. Louis Cardinals front office are causing already-wary fans to wonder what is going on.

56 players that were once St. Louis Cardinals property played elsewhere in the majors last season, to be joined by 15 more next year. How many of them were really a loss to the organization?

Continuing a semi-regular series of quick hits on and links to recent St. Louis Cardinals baseball news on the ‘net.

Tony La Russa suggested Mark McGwire come to spring training – and answer questions from the media. Big Mac passed on both.